Historically, it has been common practice for many cultures and communities to require people to either clean their shoes before entering a house, places of worship, business or request that the person remove their shoes entirely before entering. Correspondingly, as men, women, and children return home after walking in super markets, drug stores, public restrooms, parking lots, streets, alleys, driveways, playgrounds, and outdoor sport surfaces, they arrive with soiled, contaminated and nearly black shoe soles. In other conditions, many people have to cope with sand, mud, or other debris on their shoe or boot soles. Thus, it is common that the soiled/contaminated soles track this residue into homes, places of worship, businesses etc. resulting in the staining/contaminating of carpet, rugs, tile, upholstered furniture or combinations thereof. In response, some people try to avoid staining/contaminating such interior surfaces by removing their shoes before they enter the house. At this point, they have to decide whether to leave their shoes outside, pile them in a corner inside the house, carry them inside and wash the soles in a sink, or throw them in a washing machine every day. Understandably, none of these measures is very popular or convenient.
Over time numerous shoe sole cleaning devices have been invented and while somewhat useful in addressing the need to clean and/or sanitize shoe soles these known solutions are still lacking in availability, ease of use, efficiency etc. Moreover, many of these known solutions are very expensive, complex or not available to the average consumer. One known solution provides an athletic shoe cleaner in the form of a brush/scraper that is applied the footwear or wrist of a person. The brush/scraper is used by removing the device from the footwear/wrist and is subsequently used to dislodge large particles/debris adhered to the sole. This known solution, while somewhat useful, presents significant drawbacks. Initially, the use of a brush to scrub the sole of a shoe is well known throughout history and is somewhat effective in removing contaminants therefrom. However, the scrubbing requires vigorous physical action by the user and frequently scatters the debris in every direction thus contaminating the local vicinity. Additionally, the use of this known solution does not adequately sterilize or reduce contaminants that may be present on the sole.
Another known solution in the prior art provides a shoe sole sanitizing device that is made up of a tray having a reservoir containing a sanitizing solution, a perforated grate with scraping edges on the tray being of a resiliency sufficient to be depressed beneath the upper surface of the solution when stepped on by a wearer. A drain is provided in the reservoir for removal of used solution and particles which collects in therein. In one version, an automated fluid fill and drain system may be mounted within the tray, or mounted on the tray. This known solution, while somewhat useful, presents significant drawbacks. One deficiency is that the overall form-factor and/or size of the device is intrusive and requires a dedicated area for use. In the version where an automated fluid fill/drain device is employed, the device becomes exponentially more complex and expensive due to the additional plumbing and meeting any regulatory requirements for disposal of the cleaning solution. Finally, the device saturates the sole of the shoe, and possibly the shoe upper, which results in a longer drying time.
In the prior art there is another known solution that provides a sole cleaning and drying device mainly for removing the dark residue that clings to shoe and boot soles after walking and playing on some types of asphalt paving. This box apparatus can be used for various types and sizes of shoes, allowing people to clean and dry both soles in just a few minutes without having to remove their shoes. The device contains high pile, thick tufted carpet pieces on contiguous sturdy basis that serve as the cleaner and dryer elements, working well on a variety of sole indentations. Used with liquid cleaner and a little water, this arrangement allows fast and easy procedures for effectively cleaning shoe and boot soles. A simple attachment to the box holds the lid up while the soles are being cleaned, then closes for better appearance and security. This known solution, while somewhat useful, presents significant drawbacks. Primarily, this solution is a combination of the two previously described solutions, as suffers from the deficiencies of both. To begin, the use of a brush or tufted material scatters debris over adjacent areas. This device also requires a substantial area that is dedicated to the use of the device and is rather unsightly to the common observer. Finally, this known solution, when used with a liquid cleaner and water combination is likely to over-saturate the sole, and possibly the shoe upper, resulting in a soaked shoe that requires excessive drying time.
Efforts to provide a shoe sole cleaning system and method have not met with significant success to date. As a result, there is a need in the art for a shoe sole cleaning system that requires minimal dedicated area, does not scatter debris in multiple directions, applies sanitizer/cleaning solution without over-saturation, and is convenient to use.